Wild Life
by yougonnapayforthatmango
Summary: She promised her mother that she'd be okay. That planes were of little risk for crashing. Now, as she thinks about this while coughing up the remnants of ocean water, Clary wonders if okay is something she'll ever be again. With the dangers of starvation and the elements, alongside the struggles of harmony, how will her and the other golden-haired survivor manage? Clace. Lemons
1. Mechanically Separated

**Playlist**

 **Nightmare- Warriors by Imagine Dragons**

 **Breakfast- You Get What You Give by New Radicals**

 **Car Ride- The 2nd Law: Isolated System by Muse**

 **Goodbye's- The 2nd Law: Isolated System**

 **Rehearsed Speech- The 2nd Law: Isolated System**

 **Rude Awakening- Zombies In Coach by Marco Beltrami**

* * *

 _ **Everyone was screaming, thrashing around as if they were suffocating. Clary couldn't tell which way was up or down, pulling at the air, or that lack of it. Her lungs felt as if they were exploding inside her chest with such pressure, enough to crack her ribs.**_

 _ **She opened her mouth to scream, and in doing so, her throat ignited with a burning pain, as if she had swallowed fire. The atmosphere was thick, clogged with both people and humid, almost heavy air. Scraps of metal sunk to the bottom of whatever dark pit she was in. She looked up to see what was blocking the sunlight from reaching her, and gasped, regretting the intake the moment the fire poured down her throat once again.**_

 _ **Bodies, there were bodies blocking out her view of the sky. The color red curled around her vision like smoke and she brushed it off, thinking it was her hair but being startled as it evaporated. The people around her had stopped screaming, but it sounded like high pitched echoes anyway. Their faces were swollen and bloodied; enough of the crimson liquid to die the oxygen around her.**_

 _ **Floating down in front of her was a little boy, his eyes open and glazed, his arms sticking out stiffly. His hair was a snowy white, a color she recognized with horror.**_

 _ **And joining the still shaking people, she screamed out bubbles of panic.**_

She sat up in bed, still hearing the screams but in a more techno tone. She turned to see her alarm going off and slammed her palm on the snooze button.

Today was the day she'd see her father.

Clary rubbed at her eyes, smelling a breakfast caused her stomach to grumble with need. Adjusting to the whiteness of her ceiling, she gave a heavy yawn before throwing her legs over the bed and feeling the cold floor underneath her feet. Then again, how would she know it was cold? She was still numb from the dream, or rather _nightmare_. She always got visions like that before she visited her father. Though the last visit was _years_ ago.

"Clary! Time to get up!" She heard her mother yell. Clary stood shakily from her bed, eyeing the posters hung up in her room and wishing she didn't have to leave them. The room at her father's house was more lavish, but didn't carry the same homey feel to it. "One-"

"Coming!" Clary shouted from her room, stocking over to the open bedroom door and noticing a few sticky notes that she put there to remind herself of the flight to Hawaii.

"There you are, I was just going to send Luke in to wake you up. I figured you'd be a little reluctant today." Jocelyn spoke as she flipped some… pancakes? Clary's stomach growled louder at the smell of her favorite breakfast.

"It's just weird is all. I haven't seen dad in years. We've only talked over the phone and now I get to see him." She said blankly, taking a seat at the wooden table. Luke walked in, mug of what she presumed was coffee in his hand. He gave her a friendly smile before kissing Jocelyn on the cheek.

"See someone has bedhead." Clary noted at the wild ends of Luke's brown hair. He turned to her, mid eye roll.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty." She growled at him, hating the term. Nothing felt worse to her than when someone called her _Sleeping Beauty_ , knowing damn well that she looked like trash that a bar would throw out. Or, when she slept in her clothes, that she looked like she'd taken the walk of shame. As pestering as he could be, she'd much rather stay with him and her mom instead of leaving to a home that was more empty to begin with. Emptier because Jonathan was no longer there to give her comfort or make her laugh. Jonathan wasn't there to make her do anything now.

Because Jonathan wasn't _here, there, or anywhere_ to begin with.

"Did you call your father last night?" Jocelyn asked Clary.

"Yeah, why?" She questioned.

"Oh, I just heard you on the phone is all. Thought you were maybe talking to a boy." She explained. "Clary, you _are_ seventeen. You know you can do that?" She exaggerated. Clary almost rolled her eyes at the presumption.

"Mom, you know the only boy I talk to is Simon, right?" Clary groaned. She swore she saw Luke laugh into his coffee and sent him a death glare. "Go ahead Luke, say what's on your mind." She challenged him.

"Nothing, I have nothing." He said with a soldier's salute. Jocelyn patted his shoulder, kissing him on the cheek before returning to her breakfast-making. Clary stared down at her empty hands, praying that her pancakes came soon before she got ravenous, or cranky. On her palms was the paint she'd tried to wash off last night, but to no avail. She'd try again when she took her shower.

 _After_ she'd gotten her breakfast.

* * *

"Amy?"

"No, if you're trying to name her after my sister, please don't. Amatis is already trying to ambush our marriage, don't let her ambush my daughter's life."

"Okay, _fine_. How about Lucy?"

"After me? How sweet, but I'm sure we can do better than that. Like… I don't know? Naomi or Samantha?"

"Oh! What about Emma? Emma sounds like a sweet name, right?"

"Mom, why are you choosing _now_ to pick the names for the baby?" Clary asked from the back seat of the car. "I mean, I know I'm visiting Dad, but it kinda feels like a replacement." She half-chuckled half-groaned. Jocelyn turned around and laughed as Clary crossed her arms. Luke was busy driving them to the airport like they'd done every summer. Only this time, Jocelyn was five months pregnant and very hormonal about the whole thing.

"Come on, like we could ever replace our darling daughter." Jocelyn snorted, switching the station on the radio until it settled on a song that might be placed at the dentist. "Do you have any suggestions for her name? You _are_ her big sister." She asked Clary.

"A big sister; I _still_ can't get used to that title. I mean, I'm _seventeen_." Clary said with a shake of her head.

"Would you prefer it that I impregnated your mother any sooner?" Luke said, smiling back at Clary in the rearview mirror. She rolled her eyes at him, pulling out her phone to see if Simon had sent her any messages trying to get her back.

"No, because then I'd have to share your attention as a kid." Clary finally spoke after a bout of silence. She watched as Jocelyn cooed at the not-so-little bump on her stomach, running her hand protectively over it. Clary thought that her mother deserved such happiness after the family tragedy that struck them so many years ago.

"Do you think the girls will have _my_ hair, or _yours_?" Jocelyn asked Luke, running her hand through the tangle of brown. He grabbed her fingers kissing the knuckles and setting them down to where he could still lace them with his own.

"I don't care if our kids comes out with purple hair… wait yes I do. These are my babies, right?" He teased her. Jocelyn giggled at his side, playing with their locked hands, and Clary could literally feel the love emanating from them. The baby was so lucky to have parents that loved each other, compared to Jonathan and Clary, whose mother and father wouldn't stand to be in the same room as the other.

Clary thought back to the first time she had to fly out to see her father. Jonathan was with her, constantly talking about how awesome Hawaii was going to be. When their plane had landed, Valentine greeted them with candy and flower, hugging them both and saying things such as the occasional I love you. His house was like a mansion there, and to add to her amazement was a puppy. Jocelyn never allowed pets in the house, so as four year old, Clary fell in love with the black lab. She named him Taki, after a diner in New York. The first summer she spent with her father was odd, so to say. While he was the same loving man he was- towards his kids, and obviously not Jocelyn- there was some tension in the house. He'd casually bring up the subject of their mother and if she'd needed money, or if another man had moved into the apartment yet.

Clary stopped going there when she was eight for specific reasons. Now, she was a seventeen year old visiting her father, something she felt guilty for. They had called several times, him always telling her that Taki missed her and the beautiful waves he saw. Clary would ask him if he'd moved on yet, and like always, it was a no. He'd never get over her mother.

"Blue or green eyes?" Jocelyn asked Luke.

"Green of course, your eyes are beautiful." He answered with a humorous scoff.

"But... _blue_. That's been passed down from your family line!" She cried. Luke shrugged his shoulders. Clary wondered if they were to try having another child after these ones. After all, Jocelyn was just turning thirty four, enough time to pop a few children. Which she was able to do with the help of fertility treatments. Doctors had explained that _this_ happened all the time. That the drugs would increase the likelihood of _multiple babies._

"Jocelyn, he or she can have my eyes or yours. Maybe even both. We won't be able to tell until they're born." He explained softly.

"Oh okay. You're no fun." She giggled.

* * *

"Mom, you have to stop crying, you'll see me in two months." Clary rolled her eyes at the weeping Jocelyn as she crushed her with another hug. As much as she didn't like visiting her father who lived far out in Hawaii, a distance that was like an around the world trip when she lived in New York, the thought of visiting other places sounded extraordinary. The only problem was that each time she had to visit Valentine, Jocelyn sobbed like she'd never see her daughter again, or Clary was going out to war in the early nineteenth century. This was probably the worst part of visiting him like she did nine years ago.

"Oh but you're getting so big, and soon you won't want to visit your old mother." Jocelyn sobbed, still holding onto Clary despite the protruding pregnancy belly, all thanks given to Luke, Clary's step father.

"Honestly, Mom, we've been doing this since I was little, I'll be fine." In honesty, Clary thought she'd be much better than fine. Hawaii was amazing, separated from the New York chaos Jocelyn had come to love.

"But _Jonathan_ didn't return, I can't lose you too." She whispered. Clary felt bad for her mother, she felt like she lost a son to Valentine. Though she'd never say that he died on that fateful plane crash when he was ten, Clary leaving to visit her father brought back terrible memories of the last time she saw him. Alongside him in the crash had they lost Clary's grandparents. Jocelyn blamed Valentine for a long time, saying he took her son from her when he'd asked him to visit.

When you're eight years old, it's hard hearing that your big brother died because people wished to spread terror.

"They've improved airport security, Mom. No one is gonna hijack the plane." Clary insisted.

"Remember to call the the _instant_ you land." Jocelyn spoke with sternness. Clary hugged her mother tighter, hoping that was enough to assure her that she'd be fine.

"I will Mom. I always do." She promised. Her mother nodded, swallowing back fear as she stroked Clary's hair and hummed to herself.

"Don't have too much fun without me?" She asked with a tight throat, her arms still wrapped around Clary protectively.

"You're my mother, I can never have fun without you." Clary giggled, now scared of leaving her mother. Luke walked up from behind them, putting his hand on her mother's shoulder and switching Clary out from the hug tag team style. Clary mouthed a thank you to him before turning her back and walking a path she'd come to learn. There was a numb feeling to her chest as she approached the plane, wondering why her father had to move so far away after the divorce. Maybe this was his way of subtly saying that he didn't want to see his children. She knew for a fact that if he'd stayed in New York, that her brother wouldn't have boarded his ill-fated flight.

That he'd still be alive.

* * *

" _And the emergency exits are…_ " Clary was already drifting off to sleep as she'd heard the speech so many times she could probably give it herself. She watched many people raised their hands, asking the probability of a crash or what would happen if a terrorist boarded the plane. Clary rolled her eyes as, like usual, a baby started to scream the moment the plane took off. She pulled out her iPod and began listening to some songs that would hopefully lull her to sleep, because there was no way she'd get such a thing when people were whispering, kids were cranky, and baby's were testing the strength of their lungs.

How great was flying?

Clary drifted off to sleep, not caring that the person behind her had a habit of kicking the back of her seat. Said person being a seven year old boy.

From outside the plane could she hear a familiar rumble but thought nothing of it.

* * *

"Get up! Everyone please put on your oxygen masks!" Someone screamed. The air had become much colder than what she remembered before going to sleep. Even as her eyes adjusted to the plane, they were still blurry.

"Mommy? Why's the plane going down?" A child panicked.

 _That_ scared her.

Clary saw everyone pulling down the oxygen masks and pulled one down to ensure she wouldn't pass out. Immediately, the air got clearer and she could see that it wasn't sunlight making the room red, but alarms flashing and wailing. The colder the air got, the more people began to cry and pray out to their gods. From where she was seated, she could see the pilots, the door being wide open for all to witness.

" _Lighting strike… engine failure… is anybody there_?" Was all she could pick up from outside the screaming. Her hands began to shake, thinking of what was to happen in the very, _very_ near future. She began to think of her vision, of the people drowning and screaming around her. No, what was even worse was the fact that her mother was out there, _waiting_ for her to return home at the end of summer.

She couldn't die, not like this.

Not like her brother.

 _Had this been his final moments? Had he died so scared of the impact of land?_

 _Land_.

Clary turned in her seat, looking out the window to see nothing but the dark, threatening and _very_ close ocean. She swallowed bile, thinking that if the landing wasn't to kill her, it would be the soon to-be-water in her lungs. Unlike her brother, it wasn't an explosion and burning fire to kill her, but the salty water and hypothermia of the ocean.

Clary looked around her, seeing the panicking passengers as some held their children close to them and cried silently, or those who were screaming as their hair lifted up in the extremity of the descent. She saw a boy, around her age, holding his hands to his ears to block out the chaos. It was as if he knew she was staring at him, because he popped open his eyes and stared into hers.

If the plane weren't to be falling, she would have felt embarrassed, maybe shocked that his eyes were a golden. But, the plane _was_ falling. And they both stared horrified at the other before a heavy impact tore them from each other.

 _Literally_.

The plane split into fractions from the impact of the ocean and the screams died down, just like she imagined they would. The outer protective shell broke apart, leaving the survivors to their own devices, strapped to their seats. Only for a second for a second was everyone calm.

And then they were under water.

She'd never been this far, or _deep_ in water before. She looked up, not knowing where the surface was. Not knowing if she was already dead and was being hurled into the afterlife. After all, there _was_ the continuance of those water-muddled screams in her ears.

Looking down, or what she _assumed_ was down, the darkness grew, close to touching her. Her hands pounded at the seat, hoping that it would float her to safety. With the faint glow of moonlight could she spot the sinking bodies of unlucky passengers. Or, they could be lucky. For all Clary knew, they were alone in the ocean, having no clue if anyone heard the pilot's distress calls or not.

If there was ever a time to regret her wishes, _now_ would be it. When she wished for her seat to float her to safety, it did more than that. It was like the entire time she'd been sinking, she was being pulled back in some sort of natural sling shot. The seat's buoyancy kicked in and then she was being dragged to the surface with a speed so strong her cheeks burned from the cold water gliding so fastly over them. Inside her ears were the screams of what few people were left, and like in her dream, she screamed out in the watery depths of the ocean.

Praying for the comfort that only death could bring.

* * *

 **AN: Any thoughts for the first chapter? How do you feel about this whole _survival of the fittest_ plot? **

**Leave your comments and questions in the reviews!**


	2. Fish Are Friends

**Playlist**

 **Jace- Bullet With Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins**

 **Just The Two Of Us- Safe & Sound by Taylor Swift**

 **Comfort In Death- Ghosts by James Vincent McMorrow**

* * *

He sighed, reaching toward whatever it was that was poking his foot. A sharp, burning pain came into his shoulder the moment he did so. His golden eyes flashed open in alarm, hearing a muddled crack when he recoiled his arm back to his side. Surprisingly, he wasn't in the water, but resting on something hard underneath him. Upon opening his eyes, he saw that his shoulder was at an odd angle. Jace saw that he rested in some sort of shell, a piece of the plane he went down in. His feet, however, were poking out as he was slightly larger than the scrap of metal. Lowering his gaze, Jace saw what was slapping against his foot and his heart rate shot up to that of someone experiencing a panic attack.

He leaned over the piece he was floating in and heaved the contents of his stomach, except nothing came out. His eyes returned to the gruesome image of the body floating near by. Sitting up, he tried to scoot towards the stiff body and kick it away, and in doing so, was horrified at the landscape of the ocean.

 _Bodies_.

 _Everywhere._

Some were mangled and others had faces lost in a scream. His chest stiffened at the faces of mothers holding their children, elderly couples appearing pained as they bobbed up and down in the slow current. Few were still trapped in their seats and he hoped that they were alive, but seeing as they had contusions to their neck, or a torn off limb, he decided against it. The sun was burning the bodies, turning each of them a tomato red as the hours ticked by.

The slightest movements caused his eyes to dart to whatever it was that had shifted in the ocean. It was a man, but by the look of his face, he was already gone, and yet he seemed to sink every now and then, resurfacing after a few minutes. Before Jace could call out to him, the water around the man started to turn a thick crimson. The same happened to the couple next to him.

They started to go down like dominos. Each being pulled under the water and never to resurface. Jace craned his neck to see what was happening and _why_. The dark ocean was covered in light spots, as if it had bleach stains. The strangest thing was, the spots were _moving_. The scrap that he was floating in shook slightly, causing him to fall over and land on his shoulder. He held back a scream before regaining his previous position.

Sharp parts of the plane did the same as well; gliding over the surface of the ocean and then going under momentarily. If only his eyes weren't so languid would he be able to come to a clusion for what was happening.

"What the hell?" He whispered, crawling over to the side and looking in the water. Jace dipped his hand in the water, checking to see if oil had spilled in the ocean to cause the light spots but his hands came back salty with nothing more than the thin liquid of the ocean covering them.

At first, he thought that whatever was shifting underneath him was a piece of the destroyed airplane. The piece drifted under surface, side to side. The water was distorted with blood, appearing like pink lemonade, so Jace ran his hand through it to get a clearer view, later wishing he hadn't.

"Holy shit."

* * *

 _ **"That one!" Clary giggled, pointing at the ride with the most neon lights. Valentine looked concerned, but picked her up over her shoulder and began walking towards it.**_

 _ **"Are you sure, Clarissa?" Valentine asked warily.**_

 _ **"Yuck, Daddy, my name's Clary." She sighed, hating the name she was given.**_

 _ **"But your mother and I named you Clarissa." He said in a 'duh' tone. Clary grabbed at his face for support while they walked together. Valentine snagged a finger between his lips, squeezing it and making her laugh.**_

 _ **"Daddy! You can't eat your daughter!" Clary pointed out, drawing attention from those around them. She didn't know if it was her father's intimidating stare, or because he was so tall that made people turn their attention elsewhere.**_

 _ **"How do you know? You're only four. Maybe that's why I moved to Hawaii, because I'm a shark and sharks need water." Her father chuckled.**_

 _ **"That would mean I'm part shark!" She squealed, leaning down to nibble at her father's protective grip. "Ew. And that means Mommy likes fish…" Clary grimaced. Her father snorted at that, pulling her down from his head and swinging her around till she couldn't scream loud enough. "Did you want to eat Mommy?" Clary asked him. Valentine's eyes bugged out and he covered his mouth to force down a laugh.**_

 _ **"Clary!" Jocelyn snapped, approaching them with hot dogs in her small hands.**_

 _ **"Hi Mommy!" Clary waved, running up to grab the food from her hold. "Daddy's a shark!" She squealed, picking apart her hot dog for things she didn't like.**_

 _ **"Clary, sharks don't like to eat people, you know that, right?" Her mother asked, flashing a glare at Valentine's suppressed laughter.**_

 _ **"Yeah huh." She denied.**_

 _ **"Nope, they only do it because they mistake them for something else." Jocelyn contradicted. A growling noise came behind them and Clary hid behind her mother in fear, watching as her brother Jonathan came sprinting behind them.**_

 _ **"Sharks don't eat people, Jonathan!" She screamed with her eyes closed.**_

The first thing she felt was the chilling air against her skin. Her red hair was sticking to her face, and a salty smell was fuming around her. There was a heavy throbbing to her lips that were crusted shut. Pain was radiating from her side, arm, and head. Her back was entirely soaked but her body could no longer shiver, not with the depletion of energy it had experienced. _Why did she feel so weak?_ It was as if she'd been out floating for days instead of hours. Was it the burning sun that was much more potent that when it rested in the New York sky? There wasn't even enough willpower to tear open her eyes.

" _What the hell?_ " She heard someone murmur, and that was just as effective as a shot of adrenaline. Her fingers began to twitch and she released a throaty groan at the increasing pain in her body. She became aware of the soaked cushion under her, and the tightness around her waist. Thoughts of her last conscious moments began to pulsate in her head. _The rough touch of the water on her skin…_

Something knocked against the seat she was strapped in, causing her to spin in slow circles. Water droplets sprayed on her face, as if something were splashing around her.

"Fuck," She breathed out upon opening her eyes and feeling the sun blast into her sensitive eyes. There was an audible noise of her eyelids peeling open, like tape being torn from a wall. The seat did another spin, making her stomach flip with nausea. A slight ringing noise was thrumming in her ear as she tried to sit up, but the belt of the seat had flattened her hips to the soaked cushion.

"Could be worse." Clary mumbled to herself as she felt up her body for injuries.

She realized that each time the seat was knocked over, she would drift further away from her initial spot. And when the seat collided with something solid, she turned to see what it was.

A hand.

A severed hand, sawed off with something of a razor pattern. She screamed so loudly that she hurt her own ears. Her vision suddenly became clearer, much clearer. Clary lifted her head, turning to see the sharp fins and disappearing bodies of the passengers. The things moving in the water… they presumed to noticed that she was still moving around. _Warm blood,_ and began to circle her seat. Light gray triangles were starting to surround her like a picketed fence.

"Is anybody out there?!" Someone yelled, carrying the same voice from the previous murmur. Her eyes rolled over to see a tall figure standing on some sort of scrap of the plane, waving his hands in the air. His face brought back memories of the crash, of the boy she locked eyes with.

"Yes! I'm over here!" She croaked, wincing at her throat that had been rinsed with salt water. Something touched her feet and the possibilities scared her. It could either be a body or…

"Don't. Move." The boy said with a deathly calm voice. Clary began her prayers to whatever god would listen to her. She started to think of all things calming, trying to soothe her rapidly beating heart.

"Oh, God. I'm gonna die." Clary sobbed, looking up at the blue sky and wishing to touch the clouds.

"No! Don't say that! I… I think I can help. Just give me a minute." He said with panic. Clary shook her head, the green of her eyes being muddled with salty tears and fear.

"I don't _have_ a minute!" She hissed at him, trying to tuck in her arms and legs. In doing so, the motion caused the seat to tip over, soaking her in the water. Instantly was she wrapped in a thick blanket of cold, making her skin prickle under the surface of the ocean. Clary opened her eyes in the salty water and saw the bodies of her worst nightmares.

They were wolves and she was a lone sheep, stupid enough to venture away from the safety of the flock. She tried to knock the seat over, but it was of no use, it was too heavy on her weak back. Her seconds were ticking down as one of the sharks zoned in on her, no longer taking the time for intimidation. Its black eyes were fearless as it opened its jaw, revealing razor sharp teeth. She'd heard once that if a shark were to ever approach her, to stick her fingers in its eyes. With her weak arms and limited mobility, there was no such chance that the attempt would work. She'd only manage to put her arm in harm's way.

Clary rolled in on herself, taking the fetal position and praying that she'd die quickly. The large predator knocked into the seat, sending her spinning in one direction. Clary smacked her elbow to the side of the cushion, finally bringing herself to the surface. She gasped air into her sour mouth, her heart slamming against her chest as she thought of ways to escape the clutches of the intrigued sharks.

"Are you alright?" The boy yelled at her with terror tainting his masculine voice. He sounded closer to her, but not close enough to where he could grab her and pull her to safety.

"Fucking hurry up with your plan!" She sobbed, gasping as the seat flipped over with the clash of a shark. The ocean atmosphere was thick with a malicious presence. Clary was sure that if she stuck her limbs out far enough, that they'd return with a blood stump. Yet another of the great sharks zoned in on her, swimming with intent as its jaw unhinged and prepared to swallow her whole. She braced herself for the first bite, screaming out as she felt its nose brush up against her.

And then she was free.

The shark must have bitten through the seat belt, allowing her to float up to the surface. She clawed at the tip of the currents, her face feeling air blow against it. Never had she missed breathing so much when it had been taken away. In fact, she envied Jonathan for dying so quickly with their grandparents whereas she had to suffer with the commands of a stranger. Clary was so cold, so tired, nearly drained of the will to live knowing that there would be much more to face if she escaped the water.

"Help me!" She screamed with a hoarse voice. The boy grimaced before grabbing the arm of a floating corpse.

"Grab on!" He ordered with wide eyes and a bobbing adam's apple. Clary closed her eyes, reaching out to pull on the exposed leg. The instant she did as he asked, he tugged on the body and moved her from the pathway of a shark.

Clary watched, amazed as it rose out of the ocean and certainly would have gotten her had it not been for the boy's quick thinking. She tucked her legs in as he reeled her to him like he was using a rope and not the stiff body of a man. The water under her began to shift with the bodies of other predators. She clenched her teeth together, pleading with the universe to let her live. From behind her, a shark dipped its head out of the water and locked eyes with her. Its teeth shined at her like a grim smile, her having nothing to do but scream.

A rough force clamped down on her hand, making her yelp.

"I got you." He said sternly, tugging heavily on her and dragging her out of the lethal waters. He hugged her to him, soothing her as she sobbed into his soaked chest. They both collapsed onto the scrap of metal, panting at the encounter with the death they'd both faced.

"I _almost died_." She said with disbelief. Despite their situation, the boy laughed, sticking his hand out for her to shake.

"Jace Herondale." He introduced, taking her small hand in his, though she had no energy to shake it back.

"Clarissa Adele Fairchild," she whispered, rolling to the center of the scrap and vowing she'd never leave it as long as they both drifted in the ocean. The boy- _Jace_ \- was seated close to her, looking down at the thrashing water that was alive with sharks.

"I totally saved your ass." He commented emotionlessly. Clary didn't respond, only staring up at the sun and hoping to see a helicopter fly over them. She needed some sign that they wouldn't be drifting along the ocean currents until either of them died.

* * *

"So, where are you from?" He asked. It was dark outside and the activity in the water had ceased to stop, as if the predators had become nocturnal.

"New York." Clary muttered, sitting up and staring at her hands, wondering if she'd eat them if she got hungry enough. Her stomach was already growling with the passing of the day.

"Oh, really? I've never been there, I'm from…" Jace saw her somber expression as she stared out at the moon. "Are you okay?" He asked with a comforting voice. Clary scoffed at him, as if pointing it out would make it any more clearer of the situation they were in.

"Okay? Our plane went down, basically everyone died because of impact, hypothermia, drowning, or fucking sharks! Which, by the way, almost ate me! And if that wasn't enough to crush my spirits, we're drifting in the goddamn ocean, where _no one_ will find us!" She snapped, turning her head so as she could not face him. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of never seeing her mother again, never seeing Luke or her father or _anyone_. The only person she had the hope of seeing was… Jonathan.

"Woah." He responded with a soft tone. Clary didn't say anything as he scooted closer to her, next to her.

"We're going to die, I just know it." She croaked. With no reply, she began to weep softly, burying her head in her hands. The metal shifted under her as Jace inched his way beside her, saying nothing as she wept for the future suffering. A chilling air came and swept over her salted skin, making her shiver.

"Are you cold?" Jace asked at the quivering of her lips. Clary nodded, hugging her arms to her side. "Come here." He said, taking a soft hold on her arm and pulling Clary in front of his lap. His arms wrapped around her like some sort of blanket, making her breathing slow until she felt somewhat better. She shivered at the feel of his crusted shirt, amazed when he slipped it off and hugged her to his astoundingly warms skin. Had none of this happened, she would have been mortified at the thought of sleeping next to a shirtless guy for warmth. But they were alone, in the ocean, with no assurance of help coming to them.

So who gave a shit?

"Thank you." She whispered before falling into a much needed sleep for the horrible day she'd experienced.

* * *

 **AN: I hope the shark scene wasn't _too_ cheesy?**

 **Leave your thoughts and questions in the reviews!**


	3. Virgin Islands

Crimson pooled into her vision, distorting the rising rays of sun that touched her. The hardened metal under her was beginning to disappear as she blinked slowly. _Open, shut, open, shut._ He was cradling her head, whispering sweet words to her as she took in ragged breaths. His warm, warm hands felt cold. Frozen. _Or maybe it was because their clothes were drenched in ocean water?_ Her eyes rolled to the sides, blood swirling in her salty distortion and looking out at the fragile waves that rolled their makeshift raft. Wading in the water -that had become a much lighter color - was the boy she'd been seeing, his silver hair peeking through, his nose underwater as he stared her down. His skin was as pale as always, eyes black like the sharks that sifted through the currents. Through the salty water she could hear him whisper in the forever childish voice he'd have: _**come, Clarissa. Join me, join our grandparents.**_

She wanted to.

She wanted to forget that there was a tear in her head, a gash in her waist from the seat belt. After the adrenalin of her situation ran thin, she was left in agony. Blood rushed out of her skin like a hose - _and she felt ever drop._ She was so weak that she could barely open her lips and unclench her teeth to take in a breath of air. Breathing through her nose was too painful. There were cuts, and breathing only made the saltwater sink deeper in them.

"They're coming for us. Just _hold on._ Please." Jace begged, the pad of his thumb brushing her chin as she struggled to retain enough oxygen to stay awake. Her crimson essence ribboned around his fingers, reminding him of how little time she could wait for rescue. One of his hands closed around hers, intertwining their fingers gently, just enough pressure for her to sense him. Know that he was there.

"N-not co-coming." She hissed out in pain, the tear in her head stretching and with it escaped a few drops of blood. " _Forgotten,"_ Clary continued. They had forgotten about the two teens, perhaps didn't even know the plane had went down. A quiet sigh left her burning throat, _she needed water._

"What's wrong?" He asked.

" _Tired."_ She knew that he wouldn't let her sleep. He'd kept her up for so long, saying that if she fell asleep he'd have no way of waking her up. Jace shook his head, his hand applying more pressure to her fingertips. " _So tired."_

"Do you want more water?" Jace offered. She heard the sound of plastic rustling before he brought a small bottle to her chapped lips. With what little energy she had, she nudged it away from herself and gestured for him to drink it instead.

"You need… it more." Clary reasoned at his confused expression. They both knew she was right. The dark shadows that riddled his face, lips pale and skin a grayish color as opposed to its golden tan. Frustration swirled in his amber eyes as he brought the water back to her mouth, becoming insistent.

"Can you for once think of yourself? If you could see how you look…" He trailed off, his fingertips brushing gently against the open wound on her hip. She whimpered, tilting the raft as she squirmed away. "It's infected." Jace realized as he pulled his hand back and wiped it on his crusted shirt. She groaned, looking up at the sky and wishing to die quickly instead of suffer through pain. Shades of green littered the horizon, rays of sunlight slicing through.

"You should save the water for yourself then." Clary suggested. As emotionless as she appeared, tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. She gazed at the sun in the hopes that she'd stop crying.

"No. You're going to tough it out. We'll come out of this together." He insisted, gripping her hand tightly. She shifted away from him so that she wouldn't cry harder.

"If you…" Clary started, wiping at her eyes before continuing. "Tell my family I love them. Please?" She whispered.

"No." He answered. Her face fell. "I won't tell them, because _you_ are." Jace insisted. Beads of sweat began to stick to her forehead, cheeks, and neck. Each small wave that pushed them made her nauseated. Jace did his best to block the sun from hitting her directly, sitting to where it was his golden eyes that glimmered down at her instead of the bright star. Whether it was the fever setting in, or because he was the type of boy she would fall for, she found herself wanting to open up to him. Talk to him, connect.

"I - I lost my virginity to my best friend!" She blurted to him in her tiny voice. Jace's eyes snapped open from his dreamlike state, widening at what she had confessed to him.

" _What_?" He gasped, his grip on her loosening. If it weren't for her cheeks already sunburnt, they would be as red as a tomato with embarrassment. "Why the hell are you telling me this? Wait… you're not-" Jace began to conclude.

"NO!" She cried out. Relief covered his face, besides the uncomfortable flush on his prominent cheekbones.

"Good." Jace whispered.

"Good?" Clary repeated. He pursed his lips together, biting the insides of his cheeks.

"I just… I wouldn't want to worry about two lives - with the infection and all." He stuttered. "So, you're not pregnant?" Jace asked and she nodded slowly. "Then _why,_ oh _why,_ did you tell me that?" She didn't have a clear answer in her head as to why she _would_ tell him.

"I haven't told anyone. And taking in our situation - I needed to get it out." Clary answered with a squeaky voice as opposed to her groggy dry one. "What about you, have anything on your plate?" She asked him. His eyes darted out to the sea, staring into the cloudless sky in search of the impossible. He looked trapped, biting on his pale lips. "Oh come on, it can't be _that_ bad, can it?" Clary said with a laugh that was laced with worry. _What did he have to hid that was so bad he wouldn't tell her when they were stranded. Plus, it wasn't like they'd see each other again. She was a total stranger. A human diary._ "Is this the part where you say you'll have to kill me if you tell me? Because with the infection and starvation-"

"I've never… been with a girl." He slowly admitted, golden eyes scanning her face for any sign of judgment.

"So just older women?" Clary guessed. _Of course he would be with older women! He's too perfect for indecisive girls!_

"N-no…" Jace answered softly.

" _Oh."_ She responded, her cheeks reddening. "So, have you told your parents or anything about it?" A look of horror crossed his face. "Sorry, I guess your family isn't as accepting as you'd like them to be?" She reasoned. Clary saw him mouth the word ' _what?'_

"You're kidding, right? My mom would… she'd think up the weirdest explanation. And my dad would try to help me out." Jace groaned. _Help him out, what the hell? If his family was so accepting, why didn't he tell them?_

"And you don't tell them _because?"_ Clary began.

"Because my father would think I'm less of a man." Jace nodded.

"Hey, maybe you can educate him. I know when my friend's sister came out to his mother that she took it badly, but after a few days she realized that her daughter was still the same girl-"

"What the hell are you talking about? Do you think I'm gay?" There was embarrassment highlighting his face. His lips quirked up in amusement. A laugh stuck in his throat as he debated hiding in his hands or releasing it.

"Well, aren't you?" Clary questioned. He paused, fingers on his lips before he tentatively took her hand in his.

"I'm… I'm a _virgin_." He whispered. His golden eyes were shielded by tanned eyelids. Shaky breaths left his clenched teeth, preparing for her to burst into giggles. When she hadn't responded for a few moments, he opened his eyes, their amber color demanding nothing but honest. They glanced past her, widening.

"Clary?"

"Yeah?" She answered with her dry throat.

"Do you see… do you see that? Please tell me I'm not insane?" Jace called out, gripping her shoulder and lifting her to stare at the brightened ocean. She shook her head, not knowing what he was talking about. "Look - look at the water!" He cried out, shaking her a little too much to where she had to swallow bile. The gash on her hip pressed against the raft and began to weep blood at a faster rate. "Do you know what this means?" He said in a giddy tone.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Clary groaned. Jace was laughing, holding her tightly to him.

 _"Land."_


	4. Sleeping Beauty

**AN: Okay, _super_ long time since I've updated this. If you've read some of my other stories, you might have noticed that I've updated them as well. I had hoped to update this before new years, but oh well. **

**Enjoy!**

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"Do you see… do you see that? Please tell me I'm not insane?" Jace called out, gripping her shoulder and lifting her to stare at the brightened ocean. She shook her head, not knowing what he was talking about. "Look - look at the water!" He cried out, shaking her a little too much to where she had to swallow bile. The gash on her hip pressed against the raft and began to weep blood at a faster rate. "Do you know what this means?" He said in a giddy tone.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Clary groaned. Jace was laughing, holding her tightly to him.

" _Land."_

.

.

"Shit," Jace whispered. "The current… it's changing. We need to get out of this thing before we're pulled away." He explained. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. _Was he insane? Had he not experienced the terror she did when the sharks nearly swallowed her whole?_ "Why are you staring at me like that?" Jace asked.

"Because the water is filled with predators, you idiot!" She snapped. Jace shook his head, propping her body up so that she could look into the blue see. At first, she didn't know what she was supposed to be looking at, but then she saw it. "Oh…" Clary said with realization.

"Yeah, they won't come here. It's… more of a reef. The water is clear enough that we'd be able to see them; and we don't. I think we'll be fine." Jace assured. There was one thing he wasn't considering. Besides the sharks - or any other sea predator - there was something else they had to account for. Well, something _she_ had to account for. "Still not sure?" He questioned when she was silent for a few long moments.

"My injuries. I'm not sure if I have the strength to swim the distance to land." She noted quietly. He was, perhaps, just as silent as her after remembering this. His chance at survival was so, _so_ much greater than hers. If he wanted to - which he probably did - he could jump out of their makeshift raft and swim his way to safety. Safer than the unforgiving ocean that they were wading in.

"I'll help you." He blurted. She stared at him with her sharp eyes, not sure if this was some sort of insanity he had acquired after drifting so long in the sea. No one in their right mind would risk drowning themselves for someone the barely knew. Let alone if they accounted their own slimming chance of survival.

"Why? You barely know me." Jace's eyes thinned. He was hurt by what she had said.

"So you'd think that I'd be heartless enough to just… _leave you here?"_ He hissed. She stared at her sneakers; silent.

"We don't have any life jackets for me to wear. If you were to assist me, the chances of us drowning would be much, _much_ greater. Why would you risk that?" She asked him. He touched her arm, then gripped it softly.

"I'm _not_ leaving you. I'd rather Starve to death on this scrap of airplane than willingly set you out to die." Jace swore. Clary's eyes began to water. _Was he serious?_ Jace probably had so much more to live for. She wasn't anything special. In fact, the only reason Clary had survived this long was because of _him._ Without Jace, she'd be dead. Without her, though, Jace would have a bigger supply of both energy and water. He wouldn't have to waste any on her.

"You have family to get back to." She reminded him.

"So do you." He argued back. Clary let out a sigh, wanting to smack the insanity out of him. For surely, he was out of his goddamn mind.

"Fine… how are we going to do this?" Clary grumbled, crossing her arms. Even though this proved to be painful with her injuries.

"I was thinking that you could hold onto me and I'd just swim us there. It shouldn't be that hard. I don't think you weigh more than an eight year old." He grinned. She smacked his arm - which caused her to groan afterwards. "I'm serious! Just hold onto my stomach and I'll get us there." He assured.

"And how do you know this will work? What if we encounter a bunch of waves? What if there's a predator under the water? What if…" She trailed off, shaking her head at the bravery of his plan. She wasn't brave like Jace. She just… managed. Went with the flow - literally.

Jace pulled her to him, guiding her arms to wrap around his slim torso. She could feel his lean muscles tensing under her fingertips.

"See? Simple. Just hold onto me." His words were soft. Caring. Just like his gaze as his golden eyes skimmed her wary expression. "I won't let anything happen to you Clary"

She whimpered.

"I'm glad I'm stuck with you." Jace scoffed at her words, but smiled. "Okay, that didn't sound right. What I mean is that I'm grateful that out of everyone on the plane, it's you that I'm experiencing this with." She clarified. "I'm not sure that anyone else would have dragged my sorry ass through the water."

He laughed, but his face grew serious afterwards. Clary didn't know what the look in his eyes meant. What he was feeling inside… he seemed torn. Conflicted. And… _no, she was just imagining it._

"Let's do this." Jace said, scooting himself down the scrap of airplane. She followed him, watching as he dove deep into the water. A few seconds later, his head popped out of the ocean, a grin stretched across the water. "Okay, come here." He motioned with his hands.

Clary took a shaky breath. Her dive into the water was less graceful. At first, the sting of salt on her wounds made her wince in pain. Slowly, though, she overcame the burning sensation. She felt… weightless. Stronger than when she was on the raft. When a pair of arm circled around her waist, she pushed them off.

"Let me help you, dammit." Jace growled into her ear.

"I think I can do it. I think I can swim this." She argued, pushing him a few feet away from her. He swam back, taking hold of the arm that wasn't marred with bruises. Her hip was throbbing underwater, continuously reminding Clary of the previous complication with her seatbelt.

"I'm still holding onto you." Jace huffed.

"What?! No, it'll slow you down!" She exclaimed, kicking him further away from her. Jace frowned - looking similar to Jocelyn whenever Clary disobeyed her orders.

Sighing in defeat, she let him pull her along through the water. As they (he) swam, Clary began to hear soft grunts leave Jace's lips. Water glided around her legs, making her realize that the current was increasing in strength. They were nearly halfway to land when it began to push them backwards - in the opposite direction.

"Jace, you need to let me go. I can swim on my own." She insisted.

He let out a few more grunts as he fought the currents before a _no_ rumbled out of his throat. It wasn't that he sounded threatening, but the amount of protectiveness in his voice was alarming. _He was going to end up killing them both if he didn't let go of her._

"I wasn't giving you the option." Clary said before shoving him forward, diving under the water.

All those years of swimming lessons proved to be of assistance. Although, the pool at the gym wasn't even close to the powerful currents that pushed her around in the water. She opened her eyes when something collided into her right side.

 _Jace._

He pointed up at the surface; silently demanding that she swim up to it. Clary shook her head at him and continued to move against the water's direction. She swore he rolled his eyes before going up for air; which she joined him to. They were closer to land. Much closer.

Clary could make out palm trees, a sandy beach, and birds flying around said trees. Jace smiled, going underwater. He tugged on her feet, pulling her with him. They played around. Kicking out at one another as they continued their journey towards land.

And then the current grew stronger.

One moment, she was staring at the reef bottom as it appeared closer, and then she was tumbling about - unsure of which way was up or down.

Clary figured she must've looked like an idiot with her arms and legs flailing about. Perhaps the only thing that distracted her from this was the reason why she was wondering this. _Jace._ She couldn't feel him moving next to her.

Her eyes opened; head nearly turning a full three hundred and sixty degrees as she searched for him. _Where was he?_ Small ribbons of blood were floating through the current, lacing themselves around her limbs; nearly causing her to throw up.

He was at the bottom of the shallow reef, some blood was seeping out of his head. Somehow, in the wild current, he must've collided against the surface of it and knocked himself into unconsciousness. She swam her way towards him, tugging on his arm and pulling his body along with her to grab a breath of air into her burning lungs.

"Jace!" Clary yelped, trying to shake him. His golden eyes remained hidden from view under his eyelids. " _Jace!"_ Her voice squeaked near the end of her shout when her feet came in contact with the reef's hard surface. He was getting much harder to pull with the increasing gravity. Eventually, though, she pushed him against the sand coastline of wherever they were.

Her hands pressed against his chest once he was laying down. She brought her ear to his mouth, listening for any sound of breath - which he wasn't doing.

It was almost like instinct; the way she began to pump his chest with her flattened palms. After a few seconds, she stared at his mouth, then brought her lips to him, puffing air into his lungs. " _Dammit Jace, come on!"_ She hissed. He wasn't reacting to her assistance. Remaining lifeless, causing her worry to reach unsafe levels.

Tears sprung out of her eyes as she continued her attempts at resuscitating him. _Please wake up,_ she pleaded silently. Trying once more, he sprung up in a flash - startling her and causing a shriek to escape her lips. He vomited water onto the sand, coughing violently. Jace was lying down afterwards; panting with a hand against his damp chest. His eyes were rimmed red. "Jace?" She whispered.

He didn't say anything as he grasped at the back of her neck and pulled her against his chest, holding her as if he feared she would move away. Clary's fingernails scraped at his torso, clinging to him like a child would cling to their parent. Quietly, she began to sob. The realization of how close she had come to losing him - how close he was to never, ever waking up again… it was much too real for her.

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 **AN: Not some of my best work, but the next chapter should be better.**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you think of this chapter!**


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